Critical Reception
Ira Levin's quote on the cover of The Secret Life of Algernon Pendleton typifies the overall reception of Greenan's work.
Russell H. Greenan is a one-of-a-kind writer, and The Secret Life of Algernon Pendleton is a one-of-a-kind book. Madness, two murders (three if you count the dog), baroque vengeance – and the whole thing turns out endearing. That's right, I said endearing.
Russell H. Greenan's work was regularly reviewed in the New York Times by critics such as Newgate Callender and Christopher Lehmann-Haupt. Other writers include David Rowbotham writing in The Courier-Mail, Anne Tyler in the Washington Post, David L. Ulin in Bookforum and Peter S. Prescott in Look magazine.
Anne Tyler selected It Happened in Boston? for her contribution to a series of articles titled Rediscoveries that appeared in Book World, the reviews section of The Washington Post concluding that the book had “the power to reawaken our sense of life's possibilities.” At the time the book was out of print, but as a result of her article Bantam Books brought out a new paperback version simultaneously with The Secret Life of Algernon Pendleton and the first edition of A Can of Worms. All of these featured distinctive cover illustrations by the artist Stephen Hall.
The crime writer Lawrence Block includes references to Greenan's novels in several manuals that he has written on the craft of fiction writing. Telling Lies for Fun & Profit: A Manual for Fiction Writers and Writing the Novel: From Plot to Print.
Read more about this topic: Russell H. Greenan, Work
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